Photo by Erin Nelson.
Jeff Waronker, one of the partners at ExpressMRI, and Jamie Brown input new patient information into the system at the Lee Branchoffice May 11.
The Village at Lee Branch is now home to the second location of Express MRI.
The medical imaging business opened in the shopping center off U.S. 280 in May.
After opening the original location in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, just over a year ago, President Jeff Waronker decided the U.S. 280 corridor would be a great spot to expand his business.
“We were working with a tenant rep and liked what he was telling us about the area and all the growth happening,” he said. “[U.S.] 280 has lots of traffic. We liked the co-tenants and the shopping center has the visible convenience.”
Waronker said he feels like Birmingham and neighboring towns have enough people in the market to make it work.
The company has a straightforward vision for the way medical imaging, specifically MRI, is delivered. Its goal is to provide the highest quality MRI scans at the lowest possible cost in a state-of-the art clinical setting. No doctor’s referral is required, and Express MRI offers same-day appointments.
Since many insurance companies won’t pay until a deductible is met, patients are often required to pay the entire amount out of pocket. Express MRI developed its business model centered on low fixed costs since there is no excessive operating or overhead costs like most large hospitals or outpatient diagnostic centers.
“We are trying to make MRIs more accessible and affordable for those that don’t have health insurance, or have insurance with a high deductible, or need an MRI but insurance won’t approve it,” Waronker said.
The self-pay price at Express MRI is $399. There is no extra charge for the radiologist fee and no other hidden fees involved. Self-pay patients pay for the MRI at time of service with no surprise bill later.
“We believe in transparency,” Waronker said. “There are no gimmicks or hidden fees. It’s really been resonating here in Georgia, and I feel we will find the same results in Birmingham.”
Waronker said that just because Express MRI is affordable does not mean the quality is compromised. Their MRI magnets are GEExcite 1.5T.
“We invested in a 1.5 Tesla machine,” Waronker said. “It is pretty much the industry standard and has the same quality crispness of images with ours as you would at a larger facility.”
Express MRI offers the following types of scans: MRI of the brain, orbits, chest, cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, upper extremities, lower extremities, abdomen, soft tissue of neck and pelvis, bony pelvis, sacrum/coccyx, breast implants, brain/head and neck/carotid. The only scans not offered are diagnostic breast imaging and arthrograms (joint X-rays).
The office has one MRI machine and schedules appointments every 30 minutes. The $399 includes the MRI scan, a copy of the exam and professional interpretation and a written report from a board-certified radiologist sent within 24 hours of the exam. The office will also fax the report to the referring physician if there was a referral.
Express MRI will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Appointments can be booked online at expressmri.com.
